(Closed) Any other Bees that don't have it all together? (Venting)

I am turning 24 this year, and I know I am still young, but most ladies my age have graduated and are on track to start their careers. I, on the other hand, started school late and I have also been supporting myself financially, so school is taking longer for me to finish. I still change my mind about what I want to do. First it was teaching, then it was retail, now I’m just not sure. Since I changed my focus to retail I have become an assistant manager of a store and I am pretty sure I will be the store manager by the end of the month. Almost every job I’ve had has been retail, and now I’m just not sure that’s what I want to do.

I would love a job with a more open schedule, possibly something I can do from home. Or a job with a more set schedule, in retail one day I am working 9-6 the next it is 1-10. I hardly get weekends off, which is when my Darling Husband is off, and holidays are black out periods so traveling and seeing family isn’t an option. Which is something that bothers both me and Darling Husband. School is very important to me, and I do want to finish it, but I feel like I should have an idea of where I want to be when I am done. If I don’t stick to retail after, will all of this experience I am getting just be a complete waste? But at the same time I don’t want to be stuck doing something I don’t love…. And i honestly don’t know what it is that will make me happy.. isn’t that sad?

I’m at a loss bees. Basically, I feel like I am at a dead end, and I don’t know where I am headed. Any other ladies out there that don’t know what they want to do for a living? Are having trouble figuring it out, Or had a rough start getting to where they are now? What is your story? How did you overcome it? I need motivation!

What about going back to an accredited school for a vocational degree? Something that is two years long and gets you into a career, like dental assisting?

I don’t know what area of retail you’re in, but perhaps think about the things you enjoy reading/learning about, and persue a career as a sales rep for a particular product or industry. Perhaps go for marketing as another option?

There is always becoming an admin assistant, though I would make that a back-up option and perhaps persue other ideas first.

I am in your boat. Definitely lacking motivation, which is the first time in my life that I have felt that. I have a lot of interests, and formal education is becoming more and more difficult to complete with double-requirements that differ among schools, impacted majors, etc. My Fiance keeps telling me I should either major in business or health sciences, whichever makes me happier. Health sciences are more interesting to me, but of course are impacted. Good luck.

Best advice I can give is to cold-call around and see if you can shadow someone for a couple of hours, or interview them. Also, look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There are no guarantees, as new grads flood the market and make the same amount as those without a degree. Masters and up are what many jobs are requiring now. Just keep swimming.

Can I offer a slightly different perspective? From someone who is the same age but went through all of this last year?

I graduated college when I was 20. I am not bragging by any means; I was a huge nerd and got lots of scholarships. However, I got my Bachelors in Psychology, which is useless as a BA – you HAVE to get a graduate degree. My “plan” that whole time was to go on and get my Masters in School Counseling. I chickened out and realized I didn’t want to do that. I spent a year and a half jumping from one thing to the next. I even started programs! I went to radiology school for 2 weeks before dropping out because I hated it. I looked into HR, Teaching, Speech-Language Pathology, being a Rad Tech, everything.

At that point I was beyond frustrated and not making enough money. I started tutoring on the side for extra cash (I was working as a part-time marketing assistant) and I started tutoring special needs children, not even on purpose. I finally had my lightbulb moment when I got amazing feedback from the parents and even their teachers, and I started my M.A.T. and am now a Special Education teacher. I honestly believe that you “fall into” your career if you’re not lucky enough to be that person that knew when they were 10 what they wanted to do. Not everyone does and most of us struggle!

I just wanted to offer you some hope! I struggled for almost 2 years with this until I finally found my place last year. It wasn’t easy and applying for all sorts of jobs and programs was a huge pain in the behind, but it was worth it.

Good luck! And try to stay patient, though I know it’s easier said than done. Look at what you’re good at, what you enjoy, and what *type* of job you see yourself wanting and needing. I, personally, wanted a well-rounded job – great hours, decent pay, some of the “feel goods,” but not anything too stressful or tedious. I wanted something that would work with where I saw myself in the future – I’m a “helper,” I want kids, I’m good at strategy <– which is a lot of what my job as a special education teacher is about; teaching strategy so they can learn the way they need to.

I don’t have much advice to offer, just wanted to say that you’re not alone!! I just turned 25 a couple months ago, and I’ve been going through the same thing. I really want to go back to school, but I just can’t justify the student loans, especially when I don’t know exactly what I want to do.

The best advice I can give you as someone who’s finished school and in a career (older than you, dont worry lol) is a-finish your school and graduate and b-dont study just ANYTHING in school…That’s the most important thing, be sure that it will be something you like, sure, but something where there’s actual jobs. I see so many people getting into degrees that are kind of dead-ended and then wonder why they’re 29 and dont have it together. Be sure to choose something you like and a degree that’s USEFUL.

But dont worry, 24 is so young, and you’re in school so it’s not like you’re not working towards something! Keep it up!

I want to be comfortable. That’s what I’ve always wanted to be. My job choices in the mean time… have been less concrete. I ended up deciding on electrical engineering and I’ll get my BS a couple of months before I turn 24. But before that I dropped out of high school due to boredom, got my GED, and started working in fast food full time. Two years later I realized I HATE working with the general public. So I decided to go back the community college to take some gen ed courses and start working on a BA in business. Which lead to me being board out of my mind again. So I tried out engineering and we have a love hate relationship. I love that it offers me stability and the ability to build the comfortable life I have always aimed for. And I hate that by 2pm I feel the need to bang my head against a wall just to clear my head enough to go find the next source of caffeine. And after I got an internship and actually started working in my field everything seemed so much more worthwhile. So I guess my advice is just keep moving forward and remember that academia is not the real world. If you know you don’t like the real world aspects of retail it is time to change course but don’t give up on any option until you’ve gotten a taste of it in a practical sense.

@desiree.0615: Honey, I’m 33 and am going through this! I already did my undergrad (psychology) and even got a master’s degree (environmental sciences) that led to a great job with the gov’t that DROVE ME CRAZY for a few years. I’ve been unemployed for the past three years while going through some rough personal times and getting my head above water again. Now, here I am registering for my first semester of courses at community college as a hopeful nursing student. That’s the quick blurb of my academic and professional career, lol. Life takes us all down some crazy paths sometimes, and the best thing we can do is keep swimming!

Have you gone through career counseling? The counselors at your school can give you some tests for personality and aptitude that can point you in directions that may be more to your liking. Also, none of your schooling and experience will ever be a waste. Even if you end in up in a wildly different field, there are always valuable lessons to learn from any job/career that you can carry with you. Please don’t hesitate to message me if you need to talk through anything. Good luck!

i’m 36 and i went through that during my 20s. I think it’s very normal. Most people do not end up working in fields they studied and change careers 5-7 times in their lives. have you read a book called “what color is your parachute?” it helps to identify a) what you are good at, what comes easily to you that is also a marketable skill, i.e. you’re organized, detail oriented, good with words or math, etc. b) what you enjoy doing, c) combine the two, and then stick to it. I combined math and green and became an environmental engineer. there were many times when I barely hung on but when you stick it out you will find a way to be in a job that sustains you and makes you happy. There’s the perfect career out there waiting for you!

I am 30 and about to do a career change… so don’t worry. I realized I want to be my own boss, set my own hours and have my hardwork actually mean something. When I have kids I want to be able to be there for most activities and if possible there when they leave and when they return from school. I ended up getting my real estate license and have discussed this with bf and he agrees it would work for us. You put in long hours, hard work, money and some weekends up front but then in the future once you have established yourself you may be able to have all that you want and make really good money. If you have the drive, dedication and will to succeed you can do whatever you set yourself up to do. I think in your 20’s sometimes the “why am I working” is not there or clear yet so the drive is not there to find, committ and succeed at a position.

It sounds like you like retail or maybe sales and want a flexible schedule. Maybe try real estate, pharmaceutical sales, or even a sales/distribution rep for a liquor/wine/beer company. My sister is a Miller/Coors rep and basically makes her own hours. Just a thought and good luck… you have plenty of time to figure it out!